19 March 2014, Brussels – Today, the Environment and Public Health Committee (ENVI) in the European Parliament voted against a deal that would have extended the derogation for intercontinental flights from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Carbon Market Watch welcomes the rejection of this bad deal for the climate and calls on the Parliament’s plenary to follow suit on 3 April at the plenary vote.

In a tied and highly controversial vote, the Environment Committee decided to reject the watered down deal following discussions between Member States, the European Parliament and European Commission in early March. The deal reached would have exempted long-haul flights from complying with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for four more years until 2016 to allow the international body for civil aviation to draw up a mechanism for emissions from international aviation.

Carbon Market Watch Director Eva Filzmoser commented: ‘We welcome today’s vote as a strong message to deal with international airline emissions as soon as possible and not wait for an international deal that may not be as environmentally effective, presumed to only start from 2020.’

ENDS.

Note to editors:

Aviation is the most carbon intensive mode of transport. If aviation emissions would represent a country it would be the 7th most polluting country in the world.